The DEP provided this picture of the mountain lion killed on Route 15.

The DEP provided this picture of the mountain lion killed on Route 15.

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Mountain lion hit by car on Merritt Parkway

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MILFORD - The roaming mountain lion that had been spotted in Greenwich has been hit by a car on the Merritt Parkway near exit 55, the Hartford Courant reports.

A 2006 Hyundai Tucson driven by Sigred Lacson, 40, of Newington was traveling north on Route 15 in the left lane when it hit the mountain lion, state police report. Officials said they believe it's the same mountain lion that had been spotted in Greenwich.

The state Department of Environmental Protection has previously denied there being any mountain lions left in Connecticut, saying they are extinct. The DEP has confirmed that the animal hit was a mountain lion, according to the Courant.

The incident is still under investigation by DEP EnCon Police, part of which will be to determine if in fact the cat killed in the collision is the same cat seen in Greenwich. The animal would have had to travel about 50 miles to make it to Milford from Greenwich, but the DEP said that the animals are capable of traveling long distances.

There are no mountain lion populations in Connecticut but DEP officials said that there have been other reported sightings of mountain lions in Connecticut in the past, none of which have been confirmed. The closest confirmed population of mountain lions is in Missouri and the eastern mountain lion was declared extinct by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in March. DEP Deputy Commissioner Susan Frechette has previously said that the animal may have been held in captivity and either escaped or was released.

Anyone who knows where the animal may have come from can anonymously contact the DEP, officials said.

CORRECTION: The state Department of Education has been corrected to the state Department of Environmental Protection.